KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Officials say the number of tigers roaming the jungles of Nepal has nearly doubled because of initiatives from the government, conservationists and local authorities who have worked for years to increase the tiger population in the Himalayan nation.

Gopal Prakash Bhattarai of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation said Sunday that the latest tiger count showed there were 235 tigers in the jungles — almost twice as many as the 121 that were found in 2009.

Leaders of nations with tiger populations had met in 2010 and pledged to double the number by 2022.

Bhattarai said Sunday that Nepal is already heading in that direction and could be among the first nations to meet the goal.